Happiness Anulika Aweto

Knowledge, attitude and practice of physiotherapists towards promotion of physically active lifestyles in patient management

BackgroundPhysiotherapists as primary health care practitioners are well placed in promoting physically active lifestyles, but their role and practice towards its promotion among patients in Nigeria has not been fully investigated. This study was therefore aimed at determining the knowledge, attitude and practice of Nigerian physiotherapists towards promotion of non-treatment physical activity among patients.MethodsThree hundred and eight practicing physiotherapists from various public and private hospitals in 14 states of Nigeria completed an adopted 20-item questionnaire, which collected information on physical activity promotion in physiotherapy practice.ResultRespondents with good knowledge and attitude towards physical activity promotion in patient management were 196(63.6%) and 292(94.8%) respectively. Only 111 (36%) of the respondents counselled more than 10 patients in the past one month on the benefits of adopting a more physically active lifestyle. Chi-square analysis showed a significant association between low practice of physical activity promotion in patient management with inadequate consultation time (ℵ2 = 3.36, p = 0.043), years of working experience of physiotherapists (ℵ2 = 11.37, p =0.023) and relative physical activity levels of physiotherapists (ℵ2 = 11.82, p = 0.037). The need for Physical activity recommendation guideline was supported by 287 (97%) respondents.ConclusionNigerian physiotherapists have good knowledge and attitude towards promotion of physically active lifestyle in their patients but do not counsel many of them, due to insufficient consultation time. Integrating brief counselling into usual treatment sessions is perceived as the most feasible form of physical activity promotion in patient management.

Effects of exercise and oedema massage on fatigue level and quality of life of female breast cancer patients

Abstract Aim: To investigate the effect of exercise and oedema massage on the quality of life (QoL) and level of fatigue (LOF) of female patients with stage II and III breast cancer. Method: Twenty-seven female patients with stage II and III breast cancer whose ages ranged from 33 to 80 years participated in this study. Participants were randomized into two groups A and B. Participants in groups A received therapeutic exercises and massage, while those in group B received only therapeutic exercises. QoL and LOF were assessed before and 6 weeks after intervention, using a European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Energy/Fatigue Scale, respectively. Result: There was a significant improvement (p < 0.05) between the pre- and post-intervention QoL scores of participants in study group A, and between the post-intervention QoL scores of participants in study group A and control group B (p < 0.05). There was also a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in the LOF between the pre- and post-intervention scores for participants in groups A and B, respectively, and between the post-intervention scores of the participants in the groups A and B (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Combined exercise and massage improved the QoL and LOF of female patients with stage II and III breast cancer compared with exercise alone.